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G.ELDANFORTH.

MACHINE FOR STRETGHING HIDES OR SKINS.

No. 396,811. Patented Jan. 29, 1889.,

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llnuTnn STATES PATENT GEORGE E. DANFORTH, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ANTON B. IIOFFMANN, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR STRETCHING HIDES OR SKINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,811, dated January 29, 1889.

Application filed $eptember 26, 1888. Sierial No. 236,446. (No model.)

To aZZ 1071.012 it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE l'nrnromn, of Lynn, in the county of Essex" and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Stretching Hides or Skins, of which the following, taken in connection with the accent panying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for stretch- IO ing hides or skins, and it is an improvement upon the machine shown and described in Letters Patent No. 387,402, issued to me August 7, 1888.

It consists in certain novel features of con.-

' struction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be understood readily by reference to the description of the drawings, and to the claims to be hereinafter given.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 representsa side elevation of a machine for stretchinghides or skins constructed after the principle of my invention. Fig. 2 represents a sectional elevation of the knife-holder and the devices for operating the same. Fig. represents a plan of the box containing the rubber block against which the knife bears. Fig. 4c represents a front elevation of the same; and Fig.

5 represents a sectional elevation of the same,

the cutting-plane beiu on line :r .11.: on Fi 3 0 and 4.

In the drawings, A is the table of the machine, which is supported upon the end frames, A A, each of which. is provided with a bearing, a, in which is mounted the shaft B, to which motion is imparted by means of the pulley C, and which motion is imparted to the drum D, which is provided with a cam-plate, 1), into which projects the truck or roll 0, se cured to the under side of the block (I, which in turn is firmly secured in position in the sliding block 6 by the set-screw c.

To the upper surface of the blocke is firmly secured the frame F, having projecting there from, toward the front of the machine, two long arms, F and F one above the other. As the drum D is revolved, the truck or roll 0 is acted upon by the cam -path b, and the frame F is reciprocated toward and from the front of the machine.

To the front or forward end of the lower arm, F, is pivoted the knife-block E,which is connected by the rod G with the lever H, pivoted at f to the base of the frame 13 and extending upwardly through a slot in the upper arm, F to the upper end of which lever is pivoted. the rod 1, the opposite end of which is pivoted to the upper end of the lever J, which is pivoted at g to the outer end. of the upper arm, F The lever ll is retained in its rearmost position by the catch-lever L, which is mounted upon the vertical stud h and pressed by the spiral spring i into position to engage with said lever H, which lever, when disengaged from said catclrlever L, is moved about its pivot f toward the front of the machine by the spring is.

Suitable bars, I, are secured to the frame A in such a manner as to form a guide for the frame F, and to the right-hand bar Zis secured, near its forward end, the standard M, while near its rear end is secured another standard, N, which standards lie in the paths of the levers H and L, so that as the frame F is moved toward the rear of the machine the arm 0 of the lever L will come into contact with the standard N, so that said lever will be moved about the stud h against the tension of the spring 1 and disengage the lever II, which will be immediately moved about its pivot f toward the front of the machine. hen the frame F is moved toward the front of the machine, the arm p of the lever H will come into contact with the standard M and said lever H will be moved bacluvard about its pivot f until it engages again with the catch-lever L.

Thus far the operation of my invention is exactly the same as that described in my before-mentioned Letters Patent; but in the machine described in said patent a rubber roll was used in the lever J, which it has been found desirable to dispense with and substitute therefor the block of rubber O, which is mounted in the box P, open at both ends and provided with the screws m m, which are adapted to clamp the plate or against the rubber block 0, to firmly secure the same in position. By loosening the screws 17?. m the rubber block 0 may be adjusted readily or removed entirely, if desired. Thebox P is held in a suitable position within the forked ends of the lever J by means of the set-screws r r, mounted thereln 111 an obvious manner,

The knife-block E, which is pivoted to the outer end of the arm 1 and is connected by the rod G to'the lever H, has pivoted to its outer end at s the supplemental block E, to which the knife or scraper R is firml y secured. The block E is provided with a rearwardlyprojecting arm, '15, to which the rod "LL is pivoted, said rod u extending through the block E, as shown in Fig. 2.

Between the arm t and the upper surface of the block E is interposed a spring, 1', while between the lower or under surface of said block E and a nut, it, upon the outer end of the rod to, is interposed the spring it. By turning the nut it upon the rodu the position of the knife B may be adjusted readily, while, by virtue of the springs r w, said knife is held in firm contact with the material being operated upon, while it will give slightly when passing over uneven surfaces in the material.

The knife-block E and the forked lever J are connected by the rods G and I to the lever H, and are operated thereby in precisely. the same manner as described. in my before-mentioned Letters Pa ten t.

By the use of the block of rubber in place of the rubber roll. I'am enabled to accomplish much better results in the operation of stretch ing the hides, while the advantages to be de rived from my method of adjusting the knife are obvious.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a machine for stretchin ghides or skins, the combination of a sliding frame, means having provision for reciprocating said frame toward or from the front of the machine, a knife or scraper holder pivoted to an arm of said sliding frame, a forked lever pivoted to another arm of said frame, a block of rubber rigidly secured in the forked end of said lever, means having provision for locking said lever and said knife-holder in position, with the edge of said knife in close proximity with one side of said block of rubber during the rearward movement of said reciprocating frame, means having provision for unlocking said lever and knife-holder when said frame is at or near its rearmost point, and means having provision for locking said lever and knife-holder when said frame is at or near the front of the machine.

2. In a machine for stretching hides or skin s, the combination of a sliding frame, means having provision for reciprocating said frame toward or from the front of the machine, a knife or scraper holder pivoted to an arm of said-sliding frame, a forked lever pivoted to another arm of said frame, a block of rubber rigidly secured in the forked end of said lever, a nearly vertical lever pivoted to said frame near its rear end, rods connecting said lever with said block-holdin g lever and said knifev or scraper holder, means having provision for lockingsaid vertical lever in its rearmost position when said frame isat or near the front end of the machine, a spring for moving the end of said vertical lever toward the front of the machine, and means having provision for unlocking said lever when the said sliding frame is at or near the rear end of the machine.

3. In amachine for stretchinghides or skins, the combination of a sliding frame, means having provision for reciprocating said frame toward or from the front of the machine, a knife or scraper holder pivoted to an arm of said sliding frame, a lever pivoted to another arm of said frame and provided upon one end with a fixed rubber surface, means having provision for locking said lever and knifeholder in position, with the edge of said knife in close proximity with said rubber surface during the rearward movement of said reciprocating frame, means having provision for unlocking said lever and knife-holder when said frame is at or near its rearmost point and moving said knife farther to the front and said rubber surface farther to the rear, thus.

the con'ibination of a sliding frame, a knife holder pivoted to an arm of said frame, alever pivoted to another arm of said frame and provided at one end with a fixed rubber surface, means having provision for locking said knife-holder and said lever when said frame is at or near the front end of the machine, so that the edge of the knife will be in close proximity to the said rubber surface during the rearward movement of said frame, means having provision for unlocking said lever and said knife-holder when said frame is nearthe rear end of the machine and moving said rub: ber surface and knife away from each other, a truck or roll secured to said frame, and a cam-wheel so situated and constructed as to engage with said truck and reciprocate saidv frame toward and from the front ofjthe machine.

5. In a in aehine for stretching hides or skins, I

the combination of a reciprocating frame a forked lever pivoted to the endiof an arm of said frame, a box secured in a fixed position in the forked endof said lever and open at both ends, and a block of rubber mounted in said box in such a manner that it is held in a fixed position therein when, the machinesis in use, but may be adjusted therein when desired.

(5. In a machine for stretchin ghides or skins,

the combination of a reciprocating frame, a.

knife-holder pivoted to an arm of said frame, a block pivoted to the outer end of said lever and provided with a, rearwardly extending arm, a rod pivoted to said arm and passing through said knife-holder, a nut mounted upon the lower end of said rod, springs interposed between said nut and the under surface of said holder and between the upper surface thereof and said arm, and a knife secured to said lever, ail substantially as and for the purposes described.

I11 testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two sub- IO scribing witnesses, on this 24th day of September, A. I). 1888.

GEORGE E. DANFORTH. Witnesses:

N. C. LOMBA'RD, WALTER E. LOMBARD. 

